Disability

For most of the twentieth century, people with disabilities have
been regarded as ‘victims’ of their condition and a
‘burden’ on society. More recently, however, disabled
people and their organizations across Europe and North America have
challenged conventional explanations for their individual and
collective disadvantage, calling for policy measures to change the
image and status of disabled people in the Western world.

In this new book, Barnes and Mercer provide a concise and
accessible introduction to the concept of disability. Drawing on a
burgeoning ‘disability studies’ literature from around
the world, and from a range of disciplinary perspectives, the
authors explore the evolution of this concept and offer a
wide-ranging critique of established academic, policy and
professional orthodoxies. The book highlights disabled
peoples’ exclusion and marginalization in key areas of social
activity and participation across different historical and cultural
contexts, such as family life and reproduction, education,
employment, leisure, cultural imagery and politics.

The analysis concentrates on disability as a distinctive form of
social oppression similar to that experienced by women, minority
ethnic and ‘racial’ groups, and lesbians and gay men.
Key issues addressed include: theorizing disability; historical and
comparative perspectives; experiencing impairment and disability;
professional and policy intervention in the lives of disabled
people; disability politics, social policy and citizenship; and
disability culture.

This will be essential reading for those studying sociology,
social policy, social work, health studies, disability studies, and
those in the therapy and nursing professions.

"In Disability, Barnes and Mercer raise the bar for any
future discussions of the social model of disability. Their
well-grounded work uses the social model to analyse the classic
questions of the definition, production, representation,
experience, stratification, exclusion, politics and globalization
of disability. This timely book is a must read for students,
scholars and activists."

Gary L. Albrecht, University of Illinois at
Chicago

"This book is essential reading for all disability studies
scholars. It is historically well-grounded and theoretically
rigorous, carefully exploring theories of disability, impairment
and the body. The nature of the social oppression experienced by
disabled people is analysed, and disability is located in relation
to gender, 'race' and social class. Like all good sociology, the
book is highly accessible and an excellent read."

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